Babyji (2005) -- Book Review

"Dans le monde du zéro et du un, l'immolation était un acte simple. Le feu, un élément purificateur. La violence, une réaction brute à la machinerie complexe fonctionnant à l'intérieur du crâne qui fabriquait des milliers de poisons abjects - chacun corrompant et diffamant, disloquant, blasphémant, décapitant, et corrodant l'univers des sentiments nés dans le coeur humain.
D'un autre côté, j'avait vu l'étendue de ma propre convoitise, passant du dégoût au désir, l'amour se changeant en brutalité, la chaleur de la peau de Rani éveillant une nuit la passion, une autre la vulnérabilité, et la troisième la laideur. Moi aussi, je voulais englober la simplicité des binaires, un gros soleil et un petit, tournant l'un autour de l'autre, béats dans leur suffisance conjuguée. Un geste grandiose totalement destructeur avait davantage de sens que de courts et répétitifs accès de souffrance."*
By Abha Dawesar

I was oblivious to the book when it was given to me. I quickly realized that it was surprisingly up my alley and after a while, I decided to start reading it, not necessarily thinking I would go through it but just to see what it was about.

Babyji is Anamika, a young science student who is growing up in the early 90's in Delhi, India. Anamika is the Head Prefect at her school and takes her responsibilities and studies quite seriously. One day, while walking around school, she runs into an older woman who came to try to get her son accepted in the school. Anamika helps her and is immediately seduced by her, and not knowing the woman's name, she calls her India. India's real name is Tripta Adhikari, a divorcée with whom Anamika soon has an affair. At the same time, Anamika rides home from school and passes by a jhuggi (slum, ghetto) and sees a woman peeing. She is fascinated with the vision and the fact that the woman doesn't feel ashamed once she realizes she's been seen.

At home, Anamika's mother announces that she found a new maid who is none other than the woman she saw peeing, who they call Rani (Queen)--common name for maids. Anamika and Rani grow closer and when Anamika's family learn that Rani's husband beats her, they decide to have her stay at their home full time. Anamika and Rani's affair starts slowly, first with massages and putting oil in each other's hair, and later the two embark on a relationship, sleeping not only in the same room, but the same bed.

With all the confidence gathered by her relationships and experiences with women, Anamika feels more at ease to try and seduce Sheela, the most beautiful girl of her class and the whole school. Sheela has all the boys looking at her, but behind her glamorous attitude, she is quite genuine and when Anamika starts hinting at kissing she is first scared. The two of them experiment with each other, but most importantly they try to keep their friendship alive.

Other characters include Vidur, Anamika's best friend, who is secretly in love with Sheela. Adit, Vidur's father, who despite being married, blatantly hits on Anamika. Chakra Dev, another boy from their class, who Anamika describes as the only one who looks more like a man than a boy and his violent, perverted and careless attitude both repulses and attracts Anamika.

All the teachers and director, including Mrs. Pillai, the math teacher, who Anamika fantasizes shortly about.
Anamika's coming of age story is set in a background of political violence and caste clashes.

As a devoted sciences student, Anamika analyzes her actions in relation to theorems and rules that are applied in physics, mathematics or chemistry. Describing her hormones as chemistry, her attractions as similar to the earth's rotation around the sun and her freedom as neutrons. Anamika reads a lot, from scientific magazines, classic novels and the Kama Sutra that she stealthily peeks at in her parents garage. Tripta once lends her Lolita and she identifies as Humbert Humbert.

The theme of studying abroad also comes into play, later in the novel as Anamika considers studying in America, after meeting Deepak, a friend of Tripta who studied there. However, both Sheela and Vidur think that it is a betrayal to India to leave.

I was immediately pulled into Babyji. I'm not sure whether it was because of the themes, the coming of age or Anamika's witty and sympathetic introspection. I was shocked at first when Anamika kept relating her feelings to maths principles, as I thought they would never apply, but it was surprisingly convincing and it worked well.

One of the strongest aspects of the book is how it is always sensual but never really sexual. With the exception of a few scenes, we are more in the realm of touching and feeling, rather than in some sweaty sexual experience. Anamika never ponders about terms such as being gay, lesbian or transgendered, rather, she is having affairs and they happen to be with females. Anamika always imagined herself with ladies, but she finds herself attracted to some men throughout the course of the novel. Maybe a representation of how binary sexuality is a Western concept, whereas sexuality in India is fluid, a good analogy again with how she calls Tripta - India.

Something that strikes the reader at first is the extensive use of Hindi terms, things that probably make no sense if translated. They are not explained but we found ourselves grasping their meaning quite fast. I can't speak for the original English version, but I liked the way the novel is bilingual, written in English but it is noted when Hindi is being used, as Rani, the maid, doesn't speak English but learns it with Anamika. It creates an interesting dynamic.

I was a little afraid that all the men would turn out to be grand jerks, however, there were, later on, who had a very good influence on Anamika, Deepak for example, so I was reassured.

The cultural and political analysis is always good too, despite being done through a 17 years old perspective, Anamika sounds more mature than usual and her interesting way of relating everything to theorems and principles works.

I haven't got many negative critics, one could be that Anamika's pursuit for right and wrong seems to navigate quickly between extremes, sometimes feeling guilty for something minor and then feeling quite fine with something bigger, I think it's a little confusing but keeping in mind that we are dealing with a, mature yes, but teenager nonetheless it is plausible. I found the end quite abrupt, it was an open ending which I enjoy because it lets you think about things to come, but I was surprised to see it come so soon.

I liked: Coming of age. Fluid. Daring. Cultural and political aspects without actually being cultural or political entirely. Guilty characters.

I disliked: Too basic sometimes. A big town became such a small world.

81/100
I didn't read many coming of age stories, but this one really pleased me. I really enjoyed the cultural aspects, the dilemmas and ways of thinking in the mind of a teenager. It had been a while since I read a book that fast, so I would recommend it.

*Pardon me for the quote being in French, but my book was translated and I couldn't find quotes in the original English. I felt it wouldn't do justice for me to re-translate it to English from the French.

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